


"Au Lait"

by wisteria_planet



Category: EXO (Band), K-pop
Genre: Coffee Shops, Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-08 00:48:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21467293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wisteria_planet/pseuds/wisteria_planet
Summary: In a bustling metropolitan street, a small cafe awaits customers.





	"Au Lait"

"Au Lait" 

On the side of a bustling metropolitan street, sandwiched between two big corporate towers, lies the humble yet welcoming "Au Lait" café. The name is very suggestive, but they also serve non dairy beverages like americano and long blacks. It's just that the owner fell in love with the simple cappuccino, with loads of cream on top. He's the only one who works behind the counter. A college student, Nana serves as the waiter. In total, the cafe is run by two employees only. The space can only seat around 10 people, so not many workers are required.  
For Nana, everyday is a similar sight. The boss cleans the counter, roasts the beans and grind them. He brings out new cups from the back according to his mood. The dessert bar has weekly theme. This week’s theme is strawberry. The bar is filled with strawberry short-cakes, tarts and parfaits.  
His boss is hard to understand. He is a man of few words, but you will always find a smile on his face. He always humming a tune when he works, the tune resembles a lullaby. It adds to the homely feeling the cafe exudes. There's no set price for anything in the cafe. How can someone run a business like that? But Nana gets paid on time so he doesn’t asks questions.  
His discovery of this cafe is itself a tale. It was a rainy day, he fought his friend. He felt miserable, he was looking for a place to rest. Among the grim grey concrete trees, a tiny warm light caught his eye. He dragged himself towards that light. He pushed through the door and found himself in a small one floor cafe.  
"Welcome", he heard a soft voice behind the counter. The barista had a warm smile, his cheeks puffed up slightly. Nana, soaking from head to toe realizes how cold he was. He didn’t even feel the rain because of the troubles running around his head.  
"I have a change of clothes, let me fetch them or you might catch a cold", the barista runs to the back. He comes back with a grey hoodie and a pair of track pants.  
"Thank you". Nana takes them from him. His physical state was embarrassing and he wanted to hide himself  
“I'll brew something warm for you, seems like it’ll pour all night". The barista examines the rain from the glass door.  
As Nana changed into the clothes, he feels a hint of a burnt smell from the hoodie, it just goes on to show how much the barista stays around coffee.  
He puts his wet clothes aside on a chair and seats himself in front of the bar. The barista puts a hot cup of coffee in front of him along with a slice of chocolate cake.  
"Thank you…”  
The barista flashes a smile. "You should carry an umbrella around with you all the time."  
Nana takes the warm cup and holds it in both hands to warm himself. "I wasn't even aware it was raining…"he mumbled.  
The barista puts a bowl of sugar cubes in front of him. "Sometimes when it’s raining inside, we tend to forget the rain outside".  
"Yeah…", Nana takes a sip of his drink. The coffee is not too complex. It’s milky and aromatic. The bitterness is hidden because of the whipped milk. It reminds him of a winter night at a country cottage. The sky is clear and he can see the stars. But then he feels the rain drops again.  
"Has it started raining again?", the barista asks.  
"Hn?", Nana chokes on his words. He realizes that he’s crying. It’s ridiculous that he's crying in front of a complete stranger just like that. But he feels like he can cry now, the atmosphere is allowing him. There’s no one to see him and his pride cant hold him back. The warmth from the cup was liberating, healing and calming. The barista closes his eyes and hums a tune. Nana feels his heart mending with each tune. He remembers it as the best coffee he’s ever had. Nana always loved coffee and he visited Au Lait the very next day. He asked the barista if he can work there and he was very easily hired. Working there, Nana has realized one thing, the cafe is almost invisible to people who are racing against time. But whenever someone slows down, whenever they need a break Au Lait's doors are open to welcome them. Just like him, whenever it’s raining inside someone, they’ll be offered a cup to warm themselves with.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. first time writing here. This work is supposed to be healing , warm and soft. Coffee shop owner Xiumin is a character that I've always wanted to write and decided Jaeminie too. Hope everyone likes it!


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